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  • decorations in neutral, nature-inspired colours | These Four Walls blog

    Minimalist Christmas decorations in neutral, nature-inspired colours

    December 15, 2022February 17, 2026

    A look at how I’ve styled my home for Christmas, with simple Scandinavian paper decorations, pine cones, branches and neutral colours…

  • How to create a festive mantelpiece display using branches and dried foliage

    How to create a festive mantelpiece display using branches and dried foliage

    November 29, 2022February 18, 2026

    A step-by-step tutorial to help you create a festive fireplace arrangement using branches, candles and dried winter foliage…

  • The Edit | A simple, neutral Christmas

    The Edit | A simple, neutral Christmas

    November 25, 2022February 18, 2026

    A curated selection of simple, neutral Christmas decorations, gift wrap and tableware inspired by the beiges, browns and off-whites of the wintry landscape…

  • The Edit - a home spa session | These Four Walls blog

    The Edit | A pampering home spa session

    August 23, 2022February 24, 2026

    Everything you need for a pampering home spa session – relaxing bath salts and candles, skin and body care, minimalist bathroom accessories, soft linens and more…

  • Briiv - a stylish & sustainable air purifier to tackle indoor pollution | These Four Walls blog

    Briiv – a stylish & sustainable air purifier to tackle indoor pollution in the home

    July 7, 2022February 25, 2026

    Indoor air pollution can be very damaging, causing breathing difficulties, sleep disturbances, brain fog and more. The all-natural and very sustainable Briiv air purifier claims to help, and I tested it out in my own home. Here’s my review…

  • The Edit - stylish, timeless buys for a day at the beach | These Four Walls blog

    The Edit | A day at the beach

    June 24, 2022February 25, 2026

    My pick of timeless, considered buys for a day at the beach – versatile accessories, stylish swimwear made from recycled plastic, a portable deckchair, lamp and parasol, beautiful picnic gear, my favourite sunscreen and more…

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Some stills of our beautiful new kitchen with time Some stills of our beautiful new kitchen with timeless slim-framed Shaker units and oak interiors from @nordiskakok.

The room isn't very big (3.4 x 3.2m), but it is roughly square - a big change from the narrow galley-style kitchens we've had in the past. We've kept the layout largely the same as it was, partly because it makes sense and partly because it meant we didn't have to spend money moving services around and could instead focus our budget on the units themselves. We did get rid of the upper wall-hung cabinets though, replacing them with a long open shelf that makes the space feel much larger and airier, and hid our boiler inside a tall worktop-mounted cupboard.

On the other side of the room, we replaced a huge radiator with a smaller one, making space for an integrated fridge-freezer and a full-height cupboard with pocket doors. The latter is perhaps my favourite feature in the whole kitchen, as the doors slide back into the frame and don't stick out into the room. This gives us valuable prep and storage space that we can open up or hide away as needed, with a fully usable section of worktop inside. 

The pocket doors also freed up enough floor space in the centre of the room for a small freestanding island unit. I liked the idea of something rustic made from gnarled wood, to reflect the countryside setting and provide an element of contrast with the smooth units and worktops. It took a lot of internet searching, but eventually I found a salvaged prep table that’s exactly the right size. We’re planning to add a couple of stools where we can sit down with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, but we haven’t found the right ones yet.

#shakerkitchen #shakerkök #cottagerenovation #cottagekitchen #moderncountrykitchen 

Shaker kitchen | Cottage renovation | Neutral kitchen | Minimalist interiors | Cottage kitchen | Pocket doors | Minimalist kitchen | Freestanding island unit | Kitchen renovation | Rustic minimalism
Pics from a wonderful day out in Shaftesbury in Do Pics from a wonderful day out in Shaftesbury in Dorset, and a beautiful drive down through Cranborne Chase to get there. We had a wander down the famous Gold Hill, explored the ruins of Shaftesbury Abbey, had a delicious pub lunch and accidentally bought three candles in @thebotanicalcandleco. See if you can spot me in one of the photos...

#thisprettyengland #visitdorset #shaftesbury #visitengland #dorsetlandscape
Here it is: our finished kitchen! The kitchen we Here it is: our finished kitchen!

The kitchen we inherited when we bought the house was tatty and dated, with broken appliances, ripped lino, chipped laminate worktops and cracked unit fronts (some of them literally looked like they'd been kicked). Now, it's a calm yet cosy room that channels the soft, rustic-minimalist mood that we're gradually adding throughout our little cottage. We've used timeless slim-framed Shaker units from @nordiskakok, which we've paired with white-pigmented oak interiors, quartz worktops and splashbacks with subtle veining, a long open shelf and a freestanding island unit made from salvaged wood. 

I'll share more details in a future post, but here are some before-and-after photos showing how the space has changed. We put most of our renovation budget into it, which means some other projects will have to wait, but we now have the kitchen we've always dreamed of and we couldn't be happier with it. 

#cottagekitchen #shakerkitchen #minimalistkitchen #cottagerenovation neutralhomedecor 

Shaker kitchen | Cottage kitchen | Minimalist interiors | Cottage renovation | Neutral kitchen | Soft minimalist interiors | Rustic minimalism | Neutral home decor | Freestanding island unit | Open kitchen shelves
[AD - PR products] Summer light falling across the [AD - PR products] Summer light falling across the dining room, our oak @quickstepfloors flooring and our lovely Carl Hansen Wishbone chairs from @hollowaysofludlow. I've been working down here for the past few weeks as it stays cooler than the office upstairs, and the chairs really are comfy enough to sit on for hours at a time. Bring on long, cosy meals and board games in here once the nights start drawing in!

#neutralhomedecor #scandinaviandecor #minimalinterior #minimalistdiningroom #cottagerenovation
The hills on the edge of Bath - like everywhere el The hills on the edge of Bath - like everywhere else, they're looking both beautifully golden and scarily parched at the moment. We've had several wildfires around here over the past couple of weeks, so I'm longing for some rain. And although I don't like to wish time away, please bring on autumn! 

#bathengland #theprettycities #bathskyline #thisprettyengland #visitbath

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